Revenue from tourism in Portugal increased in February this year to €677.5 million, a 13% increase over the same month in 2016, according to a statement issued by the Office of the Secretary of State for Tourism.
The Bank of Portugal data for the first two months of 2017 show total revenue at €1.362 billion, 15.2% above January and February last year.
The highest growth rates have been from Brazilians (+ 38.8%), Italians (+ 22.1%), American and Irish (+ 20.3%) and French (+14.9 %).
In overall terms, the UK market was the most important for tourism in February with Brits spending €114.9 million euros, followed by the Spanish (€111.3 million euros), the French (€102.5 million) and the Germans (€75.5 million).
For the first two months, compared to last year, the British are still ahead by spending €215.2 million, a growth of 11% over 2016. The French invasion is continuing with a spend of €212.3 million and a growth rate of 14%.
"These figures confirm the results released last week by the National Institute of Statistics and highlight the number of guests that, for the first time in February, exceeded 1 million, a remarkable feat for the low season," read the Secretary of State’s communication.
"In 2017, growth in tourism activity is occurring in all regions, with a notable increase in the Lisbon metropolitan area (16.2%), the Azores (14.2%) and in the Alentejo (11.5%)," read the document.
Whatever one's opinion on this barrage of statistics, be assured that 2017 is going to beat many records for both numbers and money spent.
